KEN CROSS IN TEXAS 2017: Texas Day 7

Spanish moss drapes from trees and noisy chachalacas welcome the morning dawn as a malachite butterfly floats out from the shadows. Step into a rare tropical world at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge happens to be positioned along an east-west and north-south juncture of two major migratory routes for many species of birds. It is also at the northern-most point for many species whose range extends south into Central and South America. The refuge is right in the middle of all this biological diversity, which is what makes this 2,088 acre parcel the ‘jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System.’ Though small in size, Santa Ana offers visitors an opportunity to see birds, butterflies and many other species not found anywhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas.

Most out-of-town visitors will see or hear a new bird species before even making it into the refuge’s Visitor Center! Sit in the refuge’s breezeway and watch the birds or hike more than 14 miles of trails. Take an open-air tram ride or join a guided nature walk.

When you visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, you're entering the home of approximately 400 bird species, 450 types of plants, half of all butterfly species found in North America, and such rarities as the indigo snake and altamira oriole.

Situated along the most southern stretch of the Rio Grande, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is home to resident species like green jays, chachalacas and great kiskadees, making it one of the top birding destinations in the world. The refuge is important habitat for birds from the Central and Mississippi flyways that funnel through on their way to and from Central and South America. Other bird species, like the groove-billed ani, reach the northern limit of their range in South Texas and do not go much further north than deep South Texas.

Hundreds of thousands of migrating raptors fly over the refuge in spring and fall, including broadwing hawks, northern harriers and peregrine falcons. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge’s rarest raptors, the hook-billed kite and gray hawk, are seen occasionally. Spring warblers are abundant with more than 35 species seen, including golden-winged warbler, magnolia warbler, northern and tropical parula, American redstart, palm warbler and yellow-breasted chat.

Zebra longwings, Julias, and Mexican bluewings are but a few of the more than 300 butterfly species found on the refuge. Peak diversity falls between October and December with a single October day known to produce a tremendous 65 documented species! The butterflies of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge are mainly tropical, with many species occurring only as occasional migrants or transients from Mexico.

At an ecological crossroad, Santa Ana is strategically located where subtropical climate, gulf coast, great plains and Chihuahuan desert meet. Here, next to the Rio Grande, you will find Sabal palms growing alongside prickly pear cactus, habitat for the ocelot and jaguarundi, two endangered cat species known to still prowl the deep forest. Lucky visitors might see coyote and bobcat. Look for fresh diggings left by nine-banded armadillos. Lizards, snakes and the Texas tortoise bask in summertime heat and days close with Mexican free-tailed bats wheeling across star-studded skies.

And so it was with us - our first destination this morning was Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and it was excellent! Everybody scored lifers and we had good views of a variety of waders, to the particular delight of Arthur and Phil. We also got a few warblers; juv male Hooded Warbler, Orange crowned, Nashville and a pair of Northern Parula,

Northern Parula female

Tropical Kingbird

Flycatchers included a lifer Brown crested Flycatcher plus we were shown a nest site of Northern Beardless Tyrannulet.

Blue winged Teal

Northern Shoveller

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Stilt Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Tricoloured Heron

Little Blue Heron

Green Kingfisher

Santa Ana NWR (LTC 059), Hidalgo, Texas, US

12-Apr-2017 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM

75 species

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 10

Gadwall 6

Mottled Duck 4

Blue-winged Teal 10

Northern Shoveler 2

Plain Chachalaca 20

Least Grebe 4

Pied-billed Grebe 3

Neotropic Cormorant 1

Great Egret 1

Snowy Egret 3

Little Blue Heron 1

Tricolored Heron 1

White Ibis 1

White-faced Ibis 3

Turkey Vulture 15

Osprey 1

Cooper's Hawk 1

Harris's Hawk 1

Broad-winged Hawk 1

Swainson's Hawk 1

Common Gallinule 1

American Coot 10

Black-necked Stilt 25

Killdeer 3

Stilt Sandpiper 20

Least Sandpiper 15

Pectoral Sandpiper 25

Long-billed Dowitcher 30

Spotted Sandpiper 5

Solitary Sandpiper 1

Greater Yellowlegs 25

Lesser Yellowlegs 20

White-tipped Dove 3

White-winged Dove 10

Mourning Dove 10

Buff-bellied Hummingbird 2

Green Kingfisher 1

Golden-fronted Woodpecker 10

Ladder-backed Woodpecker 5

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 3

Brown-crested Flycatcher 3

Great Kiskadee 5

Tropical Kingbird 2

Couch's Kingbird 6

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2

White-eyed Vireo 3

Green Jay 10

Purple Martin 1

Tree Swallow 2

Barn Swallow 4

Cliff Swallow 10

Black-crested Titmouse 3

House Wren 1

Carolina Wren 1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1

Clay-colored Thrush 3

Curve-billed Thrasher 2

Long-billed Thrasher 2

Northern Mockingbird 20

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Nashville Warbler 1

Common Yellowthroat 1

Hooded Warbler 1

Northern Parula 2

Olive Sparrow 5

Scarlet Tanager 1

Northern Cardinal 15

Red-winged Blackbird 25

Great-tailed Grackle 50

Bronzed Cowbird 3

Brown-headed Cowbird 1

Altamira Oriole 2

Lesser Goldfinch 2

House Sparrow 2

Following our morning at Santa Ana we made it to the Pump house area in Hidalgo to twitch some Monk Parakeets. This species makes huge stick nests and the colony of birds, judged by the increase in nest numbers over the last five years has grown.

Monk Parakeets and their nest

Monk Parakeet

To finish our birding off before the afternoon siestsa we ran into a huge kettle of migratory hawks. There were Broad winged Hawks; seemingly in their thousands, flying with much smaller numbers of other raptor species. While viewing the hawks we saw five Wood Storks - another life bird for many.